Another building, suspected to be hijacked, caught fire in the Johannesburg inner city this morning.
Authorities said there were no injuries reported and occupants were being evacuated.
This building is just two blocks away from the doomed building in Marshalltown, where over 70 people died - from smoke inhalation and burning beyond recognition, last month.
Xolile Khumalo, from the Johannesburg Fire Department said firefighters were currently responding to the fire, at the three storey building on 1 Delvers Close in Marshalltown.
“The call was reported around 10am, to the three storey building that appears to be hijacked. Everybody who was inside has been evacuated to safety, no injuries have been reported,” said Khumalo.
She said the fire started on the ground floor inside where residents had erected shacks.
Khumalo said it is unclear at this stage as to the number of households inside the building, but emphasised that their main objective was to get everyone to safety.
She said one of the reasons for no casualties was that the fire started after people had started their day, some already at work and at school.
A number of occupants were seen walking and running out of the building carrying their belongings such as clothes, saved from the fire.
Khumalo said it is unknown what caused the fire, and in investigation by fire safety inspectors was ongoing. A report would be handed to SAPS upon conclusion.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze, with smoke billowing from the building.
Khumalo said emergency services remained on high alert.
What was initially observed was similar to what had been found in the other hijacked buildings in Johannesburg, in which occupants erect shacks and pay rent to hijackers.
A commission of Inquiry into the Marshalltown fire that left 77 people, including children, dead was established by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who said the Commission aimed to help investigate all potential contributing factors.
“We felt that a complete and comprehensive probe was necessary to mitigate the chances of something similar happening again,” he said this week.
Lesufi also said the the work of the Commission would not overlap nor interfere with investigations into the causes of the fire being carried out by the SAPS and other law enforcement organisations.
It would, he said, be allowed to conduct its work without any undue political interference from anyone, and will be given all the necessary logistical support by the Gauteng Provincial Government.
Retired Constitutional Court Judge, Sisi Khampepe, was appointed to chair the commission, supported by Advocate, Thulani Makhubela and Vuyelwa Mathilda Mabena.
“We have appointed Seanego Attorneys Incorporated, a law firm that will designate one of its directors or partners as the Secretary to the Commission. With the Chairperson’s approval, this person will find the Commission accommodation, take care of it, manage its paperwork, and ensure the Commission is run effectively and gets along with everyone it interacts with,” said Lesufi.
He added that the mandate of the Commission, arising from the Terms of Reference promulgated on 13 September 2023, was to investigate matters surrounding the fire at Usindiso Building, which took place in the early hours of Thursday, 31 August 2023.
ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za
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